About 20 local ninth- through 12th-graders are exploring careers this summer and earning three free college credits along the way.
Students from West Michigan high schools including Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, East Kentwood, and Northview are enrolled in Y-Achievers, offered through the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids and Michigan College Access Network, for which they can earn the credits from Ferris State University.
The course, CARE 102: Career and Education Planning, teaches students about careers and their educational paths. Completing the credits also makes students eligible for an automatic $1,000 scholarship to Ferris, which is renewable for sophomore through senior years in college.
“It’s a great opportunity to get a head start and also to have a direction once they get to college,” said J-Lin Tamminga, the Ferris professor who is teaching the eight-week course Tuesday and Thursday mornings through Aug. 10 at the downtown campus.
Students will interview three people who work in the career field or fields they are interested. They also will interview a college or university representative and complete a job shadow opportunity.
Miyanni Nelson, who will be a senior at East Kentwood, said she plans to interview pediatricians and job shadow one of them. “I think it will help me see if it’s really something I want to go into,” she said.
